Misc.

One of the many words that would characterize Berlin would be power; at least that is the impression that was shaped in the eyes of Alex Soloviev who, drawn by his interaction with the city, created a beautiful short film in an attempt to capture exactly this: the power that resides in Berlin’s core together with its countless edges and nuances, that make it so diverse, unique and at the same time so relatable to everybody.

Migration is pretty much a hot topic these days, but for the most part we only look at it from one side: The immigrants and what effect they might have on the places they migrate to. But what I find way more interesting and important to know is how migration actually feels like for the people that have to do it. In the end every single migration has a story attached to it that needs to be told, and be heard.

This video collected some migration stories from the makers and performers of the annual ID Festival that is going to take place this weekend for the second time at Radialsysteme V. The theme of this year is migration, so it made a lot of sense to ask all the people involved what their personal association with this term is. The result is a beautiful collection of personal anecdotes and statements that bring us closer to understanding the emotional weight of migration.

We know them all, those numerous tourist buses, that drive from Unter den Linden through Berlin’s most important attractions, all the way to the shopping street Kurfürstendamm, where most of the tours end. They are very practical, especially when one wants to enjoy Berlin’s most important sights all at once. The Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Victory Column, the Bellevue Palace, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church are only some of the sights you should definitely see while visiting Berlin.

Since last week and until October 11th there is a new bus under way driving along the aforementioned route and beyond, but all in black it seems rather mysterious. It is the Priceless® Berlin Bus by Mastercard which goes on tour four times a day between 12 and 18h. What is special about this bus is that the tour does not only include a part of the popular route full of Berlin highlights, but also explores some quite hidden neighborhoods that only a Berlin insider would know. On this tour, therefore, one can have the deluxe version of Berlin: the well-known sights of the city in combination with the unknown parts, that actually constitute the real Berlin magic.

Having studied at another culturally forgettable -yet very beautiful in the summer – German town, I always thought that the main difference between living in the capital and living in a place, where breathing large amounts of non-polluted air almost didn’t feel right, was the night life. What differentiates Berlin from other smaller cities is not just its numerous wild parties, where the right drug combination can bring you to euphoric levels of happiness despite the insufferably monotonous beats and pull you into a life crisis the next day, while wondering how you managed to look like you already had a divorce and a few heart-attacks. Luckily, Berlin is so much more than that.

The main difference lies in the possibilities awaiting when the sunlight starts to dim and the city puts on a new outfit, less fancy but always stylish; not the let’s-have-a-reunion-at-the-cemetery-kind, but in a far more original way.

Blame it on your insomnia, your constantly unsatisfied desire to explore as many as layers of this city as possible, your biological needs, or simply your Fear Of Missing Out, Berlin is here to keep you company through the sleepless nights, when doing anything other than “sleeping, because I am working tomorrow” could feel just a little bit abnormal; to be your remedy.

As you know our beloved Berlin is a huge favorite for many people in the world to migrate to for career or leisure. In the last 5 years we had such an influx of newbies that it has changed the face and pace of the city a lot. The term “Expat” has grown into a whole lifestyle and has become an inspiring and interesting part of life in Berlin. Many of those who come and visit Berlin instantly fall in love and want to stay here. But living here is of course another thing as visiting. So how welcoming or unwelcoming is Berlin actually compared to other places in the world?

InterNations, the largest global network and information site for people who live and work abroad, just published their annual survey about the living situation and happiness of expatriates. For that they asked more than 14,300 expatriates representing 170 nationalities and living in 195 countries or territories to rate and provide information on various aspects of expat life, as well as their gender, age, and nationality. The ratings of the individual factors were then used to draw up the favorite expat destinations, but also to rank the friendliest nations. Well, which rank do you guys think Germany took? You’ll find the interesting results after the jump…

We all know some urban myths: Everyone has heard about them, but no-one really knows if they are true and so rumors make rounds and are passed on. We want to take a closer look at some of Berlin’s urban legends and stories that we’ve all heard of and finally uncover the one and only truth.

So let’s begin with the mobile internet connection in the Berlin U-Bahn: Is it really true that you get a better wireless data connection the closer you’re to the front of the train? And what about free Wifi at the train stations in the near future?

We talked to the BVG and got our mystery questions answered. The whole truth after the jump…

We know you’re city kids and you love Berlin for its cool districts, the freaky people, and the party next door. But how about a bit of recreation, silence and a nice trip with the family? For tourists it’s not necessarily the first meeting point, but Zehlendorf and neighboring Dahlem and Wannsee offer a lot of beautiful places that you should visit in your spare time. We created a small guide for your next trip to these charming districts – read more about it after the jump.

How can I describe something like GIANT? After dropping by Studio 44 today, an endless list of adjectives came to mind; though they all sounded so equivocal the self-proclaimed “performative installation” began to lose meaning. It’s a piece spanning 33 hours between March 26-29th, featuring 5 main artists (including the always-radiant, outspoken and hilarious Tatiana Saphir aka The Fruit Salad) and many guests. The work explores spatiotemporal ideas, immersing the audience in such a formless way the line between performer and spectator quickly disappear. In many ways, the artists don’t seem to be performing at all but rather using theatrical situations to speculate discourse, which they process through engagement with each other, as well as material objects. Over the course of 33 hours, there are scheduled guest appearances, which turned out to be the only way I had any concept of time in there. I walked in expecting to take some photos and stay an hour or two to chat about the concept behind their work, but instead walked out 5 hours later, extremely content with what I had just experienced, and time was the last thing on my mind. You can find out more about GIANT and see the photos from yesterday’s run after the jump.

Don’t we all love a little wisdom here and there. At least my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram streams are full of them, most of the time funny, but sometimes also inspiring.

In the spirit of their new campaign the brand new NISSAN JUKE is calling for people to share their favorite quotes on social networks. Why did a car choose this means of promotion you might wonder? It makes a lot of sense actually: The time you spend on the street driving gives you a lot of time to reflect and think and with the world passing by your sides in high speed you are likely to come across some revealing insights that make perfect life wisdoms. Check out their new #klappezu Website and use the truth generator to find some street wisdoms and clever quotes to share with the world- some of which are quite witty and funny. Enjoy!

The red carpet is soon to be rolled out once again as Berlin hosts the 65th edition of the world’s largest public film festival—Berlinale. This international film festival spans 11 days, from February 5th until the 15th, and is the first cinema showcase in Europe each year. This year, their program boasts more than 400 films, coming from a vast variety of backgrounds. Some recurring themes include subversion, human rights, gender equality, politics and existentialism, the majority of which are explored through poignant documentaries. Dieter Kosslick, the festival director, claims that many of these films put the focus on “strong women in extreme situations.” (However, out of the 23 Competition films, only 3 feature female filmmakers.) There will also be tons of opportunities for celebrity sightings around Potsdamer Platz, with Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Emma Watson, Cate Blanchett, Helen Mirren, Christian Bale, Natalie Portman and many more set to attend.

Ticket sales for select screenings started February 2nd, with more tickets to be released 2-3 days prior to each screening. Not sure which films to watch? We put together a list of our top 10 most anticipated films this year! Click on to see which movies made the cut.